CONWAY — The Selectboard is asking the Board of Health for help in establishing a set of health metrics that could be used to guide the decision-making process for closing or reopening town offices to the public.
The Selectboard’s discussion this week was initially prompted by the spike in cases following Thanksgiving, according to Town Administrator Tom Hutcheson.
“It hit 350 cases (across the county) in a two-week period at some point and that was really not good for Franklin County,” Hutcheson said Monday. “I was thinking if we could establish some kind of metric, … that would be the trigger for closing the town offices to the public for some period of time.”
There was some concern among Selectboard members about relying on the regional data provided weekly by the state Department of Public Health. In DPH’s most recent data released Thursday, Conway saw five COVID-19 cases over the past two weeks, leaving it in the state’s gray or lowest-risk category.
“Our level of information is so imperfect,” said Selectboard member Phil Kantor. “We’re waiting for these weekly updates from Boston, whereas (the local Board of Health) get hourly updates from the people compiling the data all week long. They really need to be our partner in any kind of decision like this.”
Selectboard member Erica Goleman added that Conway has seen “relatively low case numbers” since the start of the pandemic.
“I think it would be a little difficult to establish a threshold, based on what we’re seeing in the rest of Franklin County or Western Massachusetts,” she said.
Goleman also said the town should have a backup plan in place for a situation in which town offices did close, as they did from March 16 to July 21, early on in the pandemic. In particular, she proposed a dropbox for residents to use for conducting town business.
In past circumstances where town offices were closed to the public, Hutcheson noted, residents were advised to call in advance and a town employee would meet them at the front door.
Currently, Town Office has a policy of one person or group at a time, as the hallway is narrow, Hutcheson said.
On Tuesday, Hutcheson said health metrics may not necessarily be proactive, as they’re a reflection of what’s already happened, but sometimes they are “the only thing that makes sense” in preventing more spread. He referenced the new strain of the virus that has reportedly made its way to parts of the United States.
“I’m trying to get out in front of that,” he said.
Mary Byrne can be reached at mbyrne@recorder.com or 413-930-4429. Twitter: @MaryEByrne